OliX Pharmaceuticals Files U.S. Patent for Circular mRNA Manufacturing Platform
核心洞察
OliX Pharmaceuticals (搜索) has filed a U.S. patent application covering a next-generation circular messenger RNA (mRNA) manufacturing platform, expanding beyond gene silencing into protein expression.
The platform's circular mRNA (搜索) design sustains protein expression longer than linear mRNA, with early testing achieving roughly 94% purity after linear RNA removal.
OliX US plans to refine purification and evaluate durability, biodistribution, immune response, safety, and efficacy in animal and disease models.
OliX Pharmaceuticals (搜索) has filed for a U.S. patent on a next-generation circular messenger RNA (mRNA) manufacturing platform, marking the company's expansion beyond its existing gene-silencing technology into protein expression. OliX US, the U.S. subsidiary of OliX Pharmaceuticals (226950.KQ), announced on the 1st that it had completed a U.S. patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the platform. The filing covers the manufacturing technology itself rather than a specific drug candidate, and applies to the expression of a range of antigens and therapeutic proteins in the body.
Messenger RNA delivers instructions to cells to produce specific proteins, allowing therapeutic proteins to be generated inside the body. Circular mRNA (搜索) is a loop-shaped RNA whose two ends are joined together, making it more stable within cells than linear mRNA. Linear RNA has exposed ends that are easily broken down by enzymes in the body, while the closed loop of circular RNA sustains protein expression for longer. That property opens applications in cancer vaccines, therapeutic protein and enzyme replacement, immune modulation, gene editing, and cell therapies.
Platform Technology and Early Results
OliX US developed a method that uses enzymes to directly join the two ends of RNA into a circular form. In early process testing, about 72% of the material was circular mRNA (搜索) immediately after circularization. A step to remove linear RNA raised purity to about 94%. About 34% of the RNA initially used was recovered as circular mRNA.
In early cell studies, protein expression signals from the circular mRNA (搜索) declined more gradually than those from comparison mRNA, confirming sustained expression. Circular mRNA with certain nucleic acid modifications also showed higher cumulative protein output than the comparison mRNA.
Development Plans and Strategic Direction
OliX US plans to refine its purification process and to evaluate, in sequence, the durability of protein expression in animal models, biodistribution, immune response and safety, and efficacy in disease models. It also intends to broaden the platform's applications to areas such as cancer vaccines and therapeutic proteins.
"The range of mRNA applications is expanding into a variety of treatment areas, with personalized mRNA-based cancer therapies recently delivering positive results in Phase 3 trials," OliX CEO Lee Dong-ki said. "This filing is significant as a starting point for extending OliX's RNA technology into protein expression."